Female Russian journalist Elena Milashina has hair shaved off and fingers broken in attack

A leading Russian investigative journalist has been brutally attacked on a working trip to Chechnya – a republic of Russia governed by close Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov who had previously described the reporter as a ‘terrorist’.

Elena Milashina, 45, and lawyer Alexander Nemov – who was also savagely beaten – were stopped by armed and masked men as they arrived in the regional capital Grozny to attend a court case linked to human right abuses.

The pair received death threats and had guns pointed at their heads, according to reports, while Milashina’s head was shaved and her fingers broken in a brutal assault.

The reporter, who works for the banned independent paper Novaya Gazeta, also received a head wound, passed out several times and was doused in green dye in the vile attack.

Mr Nemov, 35, was stabbed with a knife and received leg wounds, according to the human rights group Team Against Torture, but still intends to go to the trial the pair had travelled to the state to attend.

Reporter Elena Milashina, who works for the independent paper Novaya Gazeta, also received a head wound, passed out several times and was doused in green dye

Chechen human rights commissioner Mansur Soltaev in hospital visiting Ms Milashina, a journalist for the banned independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta

Lawyer Alexander Nemov and Ms Milashina get into an ambulance at the hospital in Grozny

Kadyrov – sanctioned in the West over alleged human rights abuses – is one of Putin’s strongest backers on the war with Ukraine.

He earlier labelled Ms Milashina a terrorist, one of those who were allegedly ‘always destroyed’ in his republic.

Rumours have swirled in recent days over his health amid claims he is suffering from acute kidney or liver problems.

Referring to the attack on Ms Milashina and Mr Nemov, the human rights group Memorial said in a statement on Telegram: ‘They were brutally kicked, including in the face, threatened with death, had a gun held to their heads, and had their equipment taken away and smashed.

‘While being beaten, they were told: ‘You have been warned. Get out of here and don’t write anything.’

They were hospitalised and the prominent investigative journalist is due to be moved to a different Russian region for further treatment.

Chechnya is a republic of Russia governed by close Vladimir Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov (pictured), who previously described the reporter as a ‘terrorist’

The pair had been in Chechnya to attend a court case involving Zarema Musaeva, mother of the persecuted Chechen activists Abubakar and Ibragim Yangulbaev.

Ms Musaeva was kidnapped in January 2022 from Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod and transported to a pre-trial jail in Grozny.

She was charged with ‘using violence against a police officer’ and faces more than five years in jail for what is seen as a politically motivated persecution.

Ms Milashina works for Novaya Gazeta, Russia’s top independent news source which is led by Dmitry Muratov, a Nobel Peace laureate.

The then US First lady Michelle Obama, left, and then US Secretary of State John Kerry, right, honour Russian human rights activist Elena Milashina with a Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award in 2013

A statement by the paper today read: ‘Several masked people severely beat Elena and Alexander, took their phones, demanding they unblocked them, destroyed their equipment and documents. They beat them with batons and kicked them.

‘Elena Milashina has a closed head wound and several broken fingers on her hands. The doctors do not share the results of her MRI scan. Elena has passed out several times.

‘Attorney Nemov was beaten and stabbed with a knife. However, he still plans to attend the court hearing.

Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova agreed to intervene in the situation on the request of the editorial office,’ Novaya Gazeta wrote.

The media rights group Reporters Without Borders said it was ‘horrified by the savage attack’ on Milashina. 

Novaya Gazeta had its media licence withdrawn last year, a move that Mr Muratov said was politically-motivated.

Since 2000, six of its journalists and contributors have been killed, including investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya.